At Walsingham Support our teams are dedicated to the people we support and the communities they are a part of. One of our incredible teams includes our volunteers! We have so many wonderful volunteers, who go above and beyond for the people we support and one of these volunteers is the lovely Jan!

Jan has been volunteering with us at Forge Fach for almost 2 years! “I’d just retired and was looking for something to do, to feel worthwhile”. Jan had been a medical secretary for over 25 years, “I feel good when I’ve helped in one of the activities organised and they’re appreciative”. Jan volunteers within the community in Swansea, helping to organise Lunch Club, Tea Dance in the afternoons, and even helping with playgroups with the younger members of the community.

The pandemic, of course, meant that Jan’s face-to-face volunteering would be paused, this however did not damper any of Jan’s enthusiasm. Jan began delivering PPE to our services. We’re so grateful to our wonderful volunteers, like Jan, who helped us continue to meet the needs of each of the individuals we support.

“I’ve made solid long-lasting relationships, there’s a lady from Lunch Club who I speak to and meet every other week”, Jan says. She continues, “I’d say to anyone thinking of volunteering, to just do it, you can pick things up as you go along and it’s no pressure at all”. The pandemic has meant that a lot of us are relying more on technology, which for some, like Jan, is daunting, “I’m a complete technophobe but I’ve had so much support, Geraint (our Volunteer Coordinator) has been great helping me out with the volunteer platform and other technology bits”.

This volunteer’s week, we’d like to say a HUGE thank you to Jan and every other individual who volunteers with us. 

*Stock image used